Strategic Studies Quarterly

Strategic Studies Quarterly is a peer-reviewed professional journal that examined strategic issues, force structure, nuclear policy, regional crises, and doctrinal innovation. Published by an organization of the United States Air Force, the journal featured analyses by scholars, senior officers, and policy practitioners engaged with topics ranging from great power competition involving United States and People's Republic of China to deterrence debates touching Russia and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Articles often engaged canonical works and events such as Sun Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, Protracted War (Mao Zedong), Cold War, and Gulf War.

History

The publication launched in 2007 during a period shaped by the Iraq War (2003–2011), War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), and evolving Global War on Terrorism. Early issues reflected debates sparked by the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review, the influence of thinkers linked to RAND Corporation, and doctrinal shifts following the 2001 Nuclear Posture Review. Over its run the journal paralleled notable strategic episodes including the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, the 2011 intervention in Libya, and the re-emergence of tensions involving South China Sea disputes and East China Sea Senkaku Islands dispute. The journal ceased regular publication in 2016 as institutional priorities within the Air Force and broader Department of Defense (United States) evolved.

Scope and Content

The journal covered a range of theaters and issues including nuclear strategy vis-à-vis Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, conventional force posture in contexts like NATO intervention in Kosovo, and stability operations related to Operation Enduring Freedom. Articles examined theoretical foundations drawing on texts such as On War and referenced historical cases like the Battle of Britain, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Regional studies addressed actors including China, Russia, Iran, India, Pakistan, and North Korea, while thematic work assessed cyber operations involving entities comparable to National Security Agency and emerging domains highlighted by organizations like United States Cyber Command. The journal also published analyses of alliances exemplified by ANZUS, European Union security policy, and bilateral arrangements like US–Japan Security Treaty.

Editorial Structure and Publication

The editorial board incorporated senior officers and scholars with affiliations to institutions such as Air University, National Defense University, Harvard University, Princeton University, King’s College London, and Johns Hopkins University. Peer review drew on networks including the International Institute for Strategic Studies and Center for Strategic and International Studies. Publication cadence was quarterly, aligning with cycles of doctrinal reviews and policy releases such as the Defense Strategic Guidance (2012). Special issues were occasionally devoted to themes linked to conferences hosted by Air Force Association and symposia involving the Brookings Institution or Council on Foreign Relations.

Impact and Reception

Scholars and practitioners cited the journal in discussions of deterrence renewal amid New START Treaty dynamics, debates on airpower traced to analyses of the Battle of Midway and strategic bombing campaigns, and studies of counterinsurgency influenced by the Anbar Awakening. The journal influenced curricula at professional military education institutions like United States Army War College and Naval War College and was referenced in think tank products from Heritage Foundation to Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Critics from outlets associated with The Washington Post and Foreign Affairs (magazine) debated particular articles on topics such as strategic culture in People's Republic of China and force modernization programs tied to F-35 Lightning II procurement.

Notable Articles and Contributors

Contributors included scholars and officials linked to Hank Frisch-type analyst networks, senior officers with command experience in theaters like Iraq, and academics from MIT, Stanford University, Yale University, and Georgetown University. Notable pieces engaged with doctrinal concepts akin to AirSea Battle and assessments of nuclear posture surrounding Mutual Assured Destruction. Articles by contributors associated with the RAND Corporation, Hoover Institution, and Center for a New American Security addressed strategy, while essays with historical methods invoked cases such as Operation Desert Storm and the Tet Offensive. The journal ran interviews and roundtables featuring figures connected to United States Strategic Command, former defense secretaries, and scholars renowned for work on coercion and escalation like those from Columbia University and University of Chicago.

Category:Military journals Category:United States Air Force publications Category:Strategic studies